Statins, a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs, have no effect on kidney function, a research team led by the University of Iowa has found.
The research team, led by clinical professors Michelle Fravel and Michael Ernst, in the College of Pharmacy, examined the association between statin use in older adults and changes in two important indicators of kidney function-estimated glomerular filtration rate and urine albumin-to-creatinine (protein-to-waste) ratio.
“The data supports the kidney safety of statins in older adults with or without chronic kidney disease,” the authors write. They suggest that “the decision to use a statin for other indications should not be limited by concerns related to potential kidney harm.”
The researchers used data collected from a previous research trial that studied use of daily low-dose aspirin in more than 18,000 older adults from the United States and Australia between 2010 and 2017. Among that population, one in five participants had chronic kidney disease. The median age was 76 in participants with chronic kidney disease and 74 in those without.
Examining the data, the Iowa researchers found statin use did not improve kidney function, as had been hypothesized in some previous scientific studies. The drugs also had no ill effects.
Statins are commonly prescribed to older adults to help lower the risk of heart disease.
“While older adults are at greatest risk of cardiovascular events and kidney function decline, they are also the population at highest risk of adverse effects from medications; therefore, evidence demonstrating no negative association between statin use and kidney function provides an equally important message to one of kidney benefit,” the authors wrote.
The study, “Effects of statins on kidney function in older adults,” was published online on Dec. 18 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Reference:Michelle A. Fravel ,Effects of statins on kidney function in older adults, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.19319. read more

Air pollution caused by auto emissions, wildfires and other sources is problematic for many people. It’s of particular concern for pregnant people due to the impact pollutants can have on the fetus, especially in the final month before birth.
A new study from the University at Buffalo offers insight into air pollution’s effects during this vulnerable time by measuring neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions and satellite-based air pollution data.
The researchers focused on common pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which is caused primarily by the burning of fossil fuels in vehicles, industrial processes and power plants, and PM2.5, which refers to fine inhalable particles with diameters that are generally 2.5 micrometers and smaller. They also studied ozone (O3), which is a secondary pollutant that is formed from oxygen and other gases in the presence of sunlight.
The findings, published in January in the Nature journal Scientific Reports, show that newborns exposed in the last month of pregnancy to higher levels of NO2 have a 30-35% higher risk of NICU admission and an 11-22% increased risk associated with PM2.5.
“Our findings highlight the critical impact of air pollution during the final weeks of pregnancy, a time of heightened fetal vulnerability, and emphasize the significance of addressing air pollution exposure, even at lower levels,” says the study’s first author, Yohane V.A. Phiri, PhD, a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health in UB’s School of Public Health and Health Professions.
Exposure to air pollution during pregnancy has been linked to several adverse neonatal outcomes including birth defects, preterm delivery and altered fetal growth, according to Phiri.
“While our findings are not causal, limiting direct inference, they support local and national initiatives aimed at further reducing air pollution and improving air quality,” he said. “Such efforts could ultimately benefit pregnant women by minimizing exposure to harmful pollutants and reducing associated neonatal health risks.”
Despite advancements in maternal and child health care, NICU admissions remain high in the U.S., with 8.1% of infants admitted in 2018, the year on which the study is focused. And while the U.S. has relatively low air pollution levels compared to other countries, air pollution’s impact on NICU admissions remains an understudied area, according to Phiri.
The study, he adds, was designed to assess the impact of air pollution exposure on NICU admissions across the United States using satellite-derived data, which allows for more comprehensive coverage that can also include areas that lack ground-based monitoring, such as rural parts of the country.
The research team grouped data by regions of the U.S. For example, the Great Plains area saw a lower risk of NICU admissions, a finding that could be attributed to the fact that the risk is underestimated given that infants in more rural parts of the country are transferred to a NICU only for severe complications due to limited access of such units in these areas.
Findings varied by pollutants and geographic region.
“We saw the strongest risks with NO2 and intermediate risks with PM2.5,” Phiri said, adding that ozone results showed either a protective effect or no difference among groups, except for during the summer.
Geographically, the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions had the highest odds of NICU admission due to NO2 exposure. For PM2.5, seasonal variations were noted, with persistent risks along the West Coast and in the Southeast. Summer saw widespread risks, while winter risks were highest in the Northeast, Phiri said.Reference:Phiri, Y.V.A., Canty, T., Nobles, C. et al. Neonatal intensive care admissions and exposure to satellite-derived air pollutants in the United States, 2018. Sci Rep 15, 420 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-84755-9 read more